As assistant director of the construction management division, Ramanjit Brar helps the division to oversee capital improvement programs for the Port of Long Beach. Brar said his duties vary day to day, and include managing procurements, handling any new requests from other port divisions and delegating tasks to staff. A major part of the position is coordinating with other divisions and bureaus in the harbor department. The biggest challenge the division faces is keeping projects on schedule and under budget for the port’s tenants, according to Brar. A native of India, Brar moved to the United States in 1988 and became a civil engineer. He began working as a construction inspector for the port in 2000. Working at the port was appealing to Brar due to the unique aspects of civil engineering required, including green construction and the variety of infrastructure projects. One of the first projects he worked on was the terminal at Pier D. He also worked on the construction of the Joint Command and Control Center building, where multiple agencies tasked with overseeing the port are housed. Brar said that it is not only the job, but also the people who work at the port that make him glad to be on board. “It doesn’t matter what bureau you’re talking about; we at the port are just the cream of the crop,” he said. “That’s really exciting, when you come to work with people who are really intelligent and really know what they’re doing and always give their 100%.”